State College System to Remain Open Even if Minn. Government Shuts

With Minnesota facing a government shutdown because its political leaders are at odds over a budget plan, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system has received assurances from Governor Mark Dayton that it will be able to remain open even if other agencies close their doors. Officials of the 32-college system, whose two- and four-year institutions enroll about 67,000 students in the summer, announced that the governor had assured them that the state's payroll office would provide enough services that the colleges -- funding the rest of their operations with funds from tuition and their own reserves -- would be able to stay open.